


We're Written in the Stars

by appeuro



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Romance, Slice of Life, non-au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-02
Updated: 2015-11-02
Packaged: 2018-04-29 13:21:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5129117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/appeuro/pseuds/appeuro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jongin and Kyungsoo have managed to debut in SM's newest boy group EXO. But they've been put on an indefinite hiatus not even a year into their career. Scared and frustrated by their situation, both boys will be forced to face themselves and each other in order to find where they stand in the idol world and each other's hearts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We're Written in the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to Sincerely, Kai and P.S. Kyungsoo

The sun was high in the sky, its rays shining hot through the wall length window. The bluest of blue sky was eclipsed by the tops of Seoul's highest buildings, and Jongin couldn't help but stare with sleepy eyes at the beige and grey colored jagged edges that stood tall on the earth's edges. He shifted in his spot on the plush leather couch, the material warm against his back. He had been sitting there, staring out of the window, but pretending not to, for almost fifteen minutes. So, when Jongin felt a sharp jab in his side for the fifth time, he fought the urge to exhale loudly.

Jongin sat squeezed between Kyungsoo on his left and Jongdae on his right. He looked with envy at Sehun and Tao who were browsing the web on a tablet on the adjacent, and much roomier, couch. Even with the addition of Junmyeon, who was currently worrying his bottom lip and bouncing his leg impatiently, they still had more "elbow room" than Jongin.

His eyes then flickered over to Luhan and Minseok who were sharing quiet whispers on a third, smaller, couch across the room. He had almost succeeded in eavesdropping when, yet again, his side was met with another jab. He shot a look of annoyance toward Jongdae and Baekhyun who kept flicking and poking Chanyeol, who was sitting on the carpeted floor trying to fend them off in vain. Jongin regretted not sitting on the floor like Yixing, who was sitting across from Chanyeol, half asleep, head propped up by a couch cushion. Who knew how long they'd be sitting there, waiting.

Finally, Jongin's attention was brought to Kyungsoo. He was sitting quietly, eyes downcast with his hands folded neatly in his lap. Jongin let Kyungsoo's warmth and zen radiate over him.

He had forgotten what waiting was like until now. It had been nearly a year since they had a moment like this, a moment just to sit down, and he wasn’t used to it. Jongin was used to going from place to place, non-stop all day, never really knowing where he was or where he was going. He had come to expect it. It kept him sane. It kept him distracted.

Jongin stretched his long torso, raising his tanned arms above his head and stretching his lean dancer legs out in front of him. He let his whole body tense before he went completely lax, his arms falling to his lap, his head resting softly on the leather backing behind him, and he didn’t stop the overdue yawn from escaping his tired body. He fought the urge to curl up beside Kyungsoo as his eyelids fluttered shut, and he let the muffled tic of the clock, the hushed whispers, quiet snickers, and Kyungsoo’s warmth lull him into a light sleep, but just when Jongin thought he was in the clear, their manager walked in, and all eyes were on him, eager for their next assignment.

Except there wasn’t going to be a next assignment. And Kris still hadn't came back from Canada.

All of the members looked at their manager in disbelief as he paced the carpet. Jongin furrowed his brow as he replayed what their manager had just told them.

“Management is putting EXO on hiatus. They are not happy with how things are going right now, and until they can figure out what to do next, there won’t be any schedules or activities. During this time, you will not be seen or heard in public. Management will contact us with further instructions.”

Like a good leader, Junmyeon was first to pick himself up off the ground.

“So, what do we do?”

Jongin could practically see the barrage of questions resting on Junmyeon's tongue, like will they be getting paid, was this even legal, will they be the next CSJH The Grace? He knew Junmyeon was holding himself back, holding himself together for the rest of them.

The manager looked at Junmyeon with a grave expression and just shook his head slightly from side to side.

“Nothing. You all just have to wait for further instructions. Management just doesn’t think you all were ready to debut.”

Jongin pursed his lips, his hands finding one another so that he could hold himself together. Jongin knew management was right, but he had hoped that they, the group, would have been able to get their act together before the world noticed they weren’t perfect.

Despite all of the training, being in a group was much harder than any of them could have ever imagined. The twelve of them couldn’t go three hours without arguing, and that usually resulted in one person crying and another disappearing for hours. The last argument ended with Kris refusing to come back from Canada after their company given week vacation. He had been holding himself hostage for days, but with the announcement of the hiatus, Jongin reckoned days would turn into weeks before Kris returned, if he returned.

It was pretty obvious that the company had no clue what they were doing with a Chinese-Korean group. EXO-M was always just hanging around in the margins, waiting, and this only added to the tension between the two groups of six. No one wanted to be without work, and it was inevitable that rifts would develop between the twelve of them. They all couldn't be the most popular member. Jongin knew they would turn on each other eventually, but he didn't think that management would have been the cause of it.

All of the members were going through their own personal Hell. Even Jongin struggled to keep his spot in the group. He sometimes wished he wasn't given a cameo in almost all of the teasers. He sometimes wished his light didn't take away the others' light because it was hard enduring all the petty jabs and back-handed compliments from the members. Jongin wasn't in it for the fame or fortune, but the members seemed to forget that once they debuted. They all were blinded by the flashing lights and artificial smiles. They had forgotten who existed behind the fancy dance moves and sultry facial expressions.

The inside wasn't the only thing rotting away, however. A day didn't pass where the boys weren’t being followed, spied on, photographed. They struggled to keep it together, to keep up the façade of camaraderie and “sibling-like” closeness, and for a moment, Jongin believed they had everyone fooled. But you can't fool management. They noticed things weren't perfect long before the arguing. They always did. And soon, the fans, with their DSLRs and fansites, would notice too. And Management couldn’t have that. No way.

So, Jongin wasn’t surprised when he saw Junmyeon get up from his spot on the couch and storm out of the room. He watched with big brown eyes as the manager quickly followed after their leader. He flinched as he heard one of the bedroom doors slam.

Everyone was completely silent, only the low hum from the refrigerator could be heard alongside the steady tic from the large clock above their flat-screen television.

So, now what?

Nobody wanted to be the first to speak. But what could they say anyway? Management always had the last word.

Minseok was the next to leave with Luhan quietly following after him. Tao looked like he was on the verge of tears, and Jongin heard him saying something in Chinese to Yixing, who had long since came to his side. But the only person Jongin really cared about was Kyungsoo. He couldn’t help it.

He watched Kyungsoo pick at a perfectly manicured cuticle. His eyes still down cast, his mouth slack. Jongin wanted to say something, comfort him, anything, but he was just as speechless as the rest of them. Who was he to say not to worry and that everything would be alright?

Jongin shifted in his seat now that Jongdae got up, presumably to go back to the EXO-M dorm, and he rubbed a sweaty palm against his jean clad thigh. He tried to put on a smile, but it didn’t fit right, and so, he stopped trying, his mouth falling slack, just like Kyungsoo's.

For the past year, every aspect of Jongin’s life had been spelled out for him. Management and dozens of staff members told him what to eat, when, where, and how long to sleep. They told him what to wear, when to smile and how wide to make it. They told him what to say, how to say it, and who to say it to. Jongin was constantly being shuffled from car to building, and everything and everyone was nothing more than a blur of flashing lights, blinding white smiles, and noise.

But it was silent now, and Jongin didn’t know what to do. It wasn't relaxing. It was overwhelming. Breaks and hiatuses only happened to smaller groups from hole in the wall companies, not boy bands from SM. Hiatus didn't happen to the next big thing, right? Especially not in their first year. A flash of panic cursed through Jongin’s body when he tried to envision the future and got nothing but white space.

Jongin was lost.

After a few minutes of trying and failing to say something to Kyungsoo, Jongin got up from his spot on the couch. With his head bowed, he stretched his legs as he stepped over Chanyeol, and he consciously ignored the set of big, round, questioning eyes that followed his every move until he was out of of the common room.

Jongin walked down the darkened hallway, his socked feet sliding gently over the hardwood floor. He softly put a hand to one of the doors and pushed it open. He made his way over to the bed in the far right corner, quietly climbed inside of the covers, and did what he learned to do when things got too complicated, when he didn't have a million lights to blind him or screaming fans to deafen him.

He slept.

He slept to escape, and he slept to put the world on hold for a little while.


End file.
